1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to a video camera and, more specifically, to a remote endoscopic video camera for use in generating a 3D image.
2. Background of the Invention
In an ordinary endoscopic video camera, a small imager, typically a CCD, is attached to the eyepiece of an endoscope, and a flexible cable, typically 10 feet in length, connects the imager to the remaining camera electronics. For medical applications, the resulting imager/endoscope combination is very lightweight, and easier for a surgeon to insert into body cavities for observation of features of internal body structures without the necessity of surgery.
Conventional endoscopic video cameras are presently only capable of generating two-dimensional images. Although the generation of three-dimensional ("3D") images from such cameras is theoretically possible by situating two imagers at the endoscope, with one forming an image for the left eye, and the other, for forming an image at the right eye, the development of such a camera has heretofore not been possible because of at least the following difficulties: (1) the loss of flexibility resulting from the use of two sets of cables and connectors between the camera head containing the two imagers and the rest of the camera circuitry; (2) the difficulty of cleaning and disinfecting the large and complicated camera head resulting from combining two imagers with their own separate housings; and (3) the interference that develops between the pre-video outputs of the imagers when the same are placed in a single housing, or when the signal lines coupling the same to the remaining camera electronics are placed in a single cable.
Consequently, it is an object of the subject invention to provide a remote endoscopic 3D video camera which overcomes the aforementioned difficulties.